St. Francis Retreat Center

Northern California

The Franciscan Order’s St. Francis Retreat Center is a complex of historic buildings located in a pastoral valley outside of San Juan Bautista. In 2006, the 150-year old common facilities building burned to the ground. The Franciscan Order embarked on a year-long master planning process, the initial phase of which was the replacement of the lost building. The new 12,000 square foot building was designed in sympathy with the other Mission style buildings on the property. The new facility was completed in 2009 and includes large and small conference rooms, a dining hall, commercial kitchen, bookstore, administrative offices, outdoor terraces and a landscaped courtyard. The project embodies sustainable features such as natural ventilation and daylighting, under-floor radiant heating and displacement cooling, super-insulated walls and roof, with storm water collection and native landscaping.